Tubing pack off for tandem dual bore integral manifold valve



ay 5, 1959 A. F. RHODES TUBING PACK OFF FOR TANDEM DUAL. BORE INTEGRAL MANIFOLD VALVE Filed Nov. 2, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet l A//e/7 A Rhodes INVENTOR.

5, 1959 A. F. RHODES 2,885,005

TUBING PACK OFF FOR TANDEM DUAL BORE INTEGRAL MANIFOLD VALVE Filed Nov. 2, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 A? IN V EN TOR.

- May 5, 1959 A. F. RHODES 5,

TUBING PACK OFF FOR TANDEM DUAL BORE INTEGRAL MANIFOLD VALVE Filed Nov. 2, 1955 4 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN V EN TOR.

TUBING PACK OFF FOR TANDEM DUAL BORE INTEGRAL MANIFOLD VALVE Allen F. Rhodes, Houston, Tex., assignor, by mesne assignments, to McEvoy Company, Houston, Tex., a corporation of Texas Application November 2, 1955, Serial No. 544,469

6 Claims. (Cl. 16675) This invention pertains to apparatus for parallel tubing string dual completion wells, and more particularly to such apparatus at the surface of the earth, as distinguished from clown-the-hole apparatus.

Suitable apparatus for such completions has been disclosed in pending application Serial No. 498,791 entitled Dual Suspension and Seal, filed April 4, 1955, by C. P. Lanmon II, such apparatus being particularly suited for use where both tubing strings produce high pressure sands. Other apparatus especially suited for completions in which one sand is at high pressure and the other at low pressure is described in Allen F. Rhodes pending application Serial No. 526,467 filed August 4, 1955, and entitled Well Completion Apparatus. The apparatus herein disclosed may be viewed as intermediate between the inventions of the foregoing applications and is particularly suited for completions of wells in which both sands to be produced are at moderate pressure.

The object of the present invention is to provide means for testing high pressure joints, particularly in apparatus of the last above mentioned type.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved connections in such apparatus.

Still another object of the invention is to provide in such apparatus means whereby one completion may be made, tested, and put into operation independently of the other completion.

A further object of the invention is to provide such apparatus which is easily installed and is suitable for diverse service conditions.

Other uses, objects, advantages, and improvements will appear from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, of which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in vertical section, of apparatus embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a split partial view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1, showing in enlarged vertical section the portions of Figure 1 not therein shown in section;

Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken at line 33 of Figure 2; and,

Figure 4 is a horizontal section taken at line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, which show a preferred embodiment of the invention, and first to Figure 1, the invention comprises an upper and a lower dual bore element each of which elements has one bore provided with a valve means and a transverse or lateral passage. The other, non-valved, bore of the lower dual bore element is adapted to receive a string of tubing therethrough and the other, non-valved, bore of the upper dual bore element is smooth and smaller than the tubing receiving bore of the lower dual bore element. The upper and lower dual bore elements are turned about their vertical axes in opposite directions and the bores thereof aligned so that one of the valve means and lateral passages is positioned to each side, the bore having the valve means and lateral passage of the lower dual bore element being to the left and the bore having the valve means and lateral passage of the upper dual bore element being to the right in Figure 1.

Still referring to Figure 1 and also to Figures 2-4, the lower dual bore element 10 is supported on a tubing head 11 and the upper dual bore element 12 is supported on the lower dual bore element ll A tubing string 13 received through tubing head lll is screwed into the lower end of a bore 38 of lower dual bore element 10 and a bore 45 of upper dual bore element 12 is aligned with and connected above bore 38 by means of tubular collar 42. A second tubing string 14- received through tubing head lll passes through a collar 23 which bridges the connection between lower dual bore element 10 and tubing head 11, through the second bore 25 of lower dual bore element 10, and is screwed into the lower end of the second bore 53 of upper dual bore element 12.

The tubing head 11 has an axial opening having a portion thereof formed as a conical shoulder 16, on which shoulder is supported a dual tubing pack off means, consisting of a dual bore sealing ring support 17, a sealing ring 18 of elastomeric material, and a compression ring 19, which latter are not truly rings but take the place of the ring devices in single-completion well head apparatus and are adapted to receive dual strings of tubing. These sealing elements receive tubing string 13 and the lower end of collar 23 and seal around them by compression of sealing ring 18 between sealing ring support 17 and compression ring 19. Through the upper flange 20 of tubing head 11 a plurality of lockscrews 21 are disposed, the lockscrews 21 coacting with an upper conical shoulder 22 provided on compression ring 19 to compress sealing ring 18 and to hold down the equipment in casing head 11.

The collar 23 is of elongated cylindrical tubular shape and has an internal diameter somewhat larger than the outer diameter of tubing string 14 which is freely received therethrough. The lower end of collar 23 is welded to sealing ring support 17 as indicated'at 24 and collar 23 extends thereabove into an enlarged lower portion 25 of bore 25 of the lower dual bore element 10. Above lower portion 29, the diameter of bore 25 is about the same as the internal diameter of collar 23 so that tubing string 14 will also freely pass through bore 25. The lower end of bore portion 29 is further enlarged and is threaded and a sealing means comprising upper and lower chevron packing rings 26 and 27, respectively, spiral spring 30, and a threaded retainer element so are received in lower bore portion 29 to seal off around collar 23 at its juncture with bore 25. A sealant injection port 31 having therein a sealant packing nipple 32 provides access to the space occupied by spring 3% in bore portion 29 for injection of a sealant between chevron packing rings 26 and 27.

Lower dual bore element 10 has a lower flange 33 which is bolted in the usual manner to flange 20 of the tubing head 11. The upper end of dual bore element 10 is threaded as at 34 and a threaded flange 35 is screwed onto the threads and welded as at 36 at a circular recess 37 provided below threads 34 for that purpose. Upper dual bore element 12 has a lower flange 54 which is bolted to flange 35 of lower dual bore element 10. Standard metal ring joint gaskets are provided in circular grooves at each of the fiange-to-fiange connections to prevent leaks at these connections.

In bore 38 of lower dual bore element 10 there is provided a gate valve closure means 39 and thereabove a lateral passage 45 adapted for connection to other means. An identical gate valve closure means 55 and lateral passage 56 is provided in bore 53 of upper dual bore element 12 at the opposite side. The upper end of bore 38 has an internally threaded socket 41 which receives a collar 42. Collar 42 has a lower threaded nipple portion 3 t 43 adapted to be received into socket 41 and an upper tubular portion 44 adapted to be sealed into the lower end of bore 45 of upper dual bore element 12 in the same way that collar 23 is sealed into the lower end of bore 25 of lower dual bore element 10. Bore 38 has a lower threaded socket 46 which receives the upper end of tubing string 13. The upper end of bore 25 has an enlarged stufling box portion 47 adapted to receive packing rings 48, packing retainer 49, and an externally threaded collar 50 which is screwed into an upper threaded socket 51 of bore 25. A bleeder port 52 is formed near the longitudinal center of bore 25 whereby access may be had to bore 25.

It should be noted that upper dual bore element 12 and lower dual bore element are similar and are usually made from identical castings. Bore 25 of lower dual bore element 10 is drilled to a larger size than bore 45 of upper dual bore element 12 and the upper end of dual boreelement 12 is usually not threaded to receive a flange such as flange 35 on lower dual bore element 10. Bore 45 of upper dual bore element 12 has a diameter substantially the same as the internal diameter of tubing string 13 and bore 25 of lower dual bore element 10 has a diameter somewhat larger than the external diameter of tubing string 14, the two tubing strings 13 and 14 usually being of the same size. As can be best seen in Figures 1 and 2, valveless bore 45 of upper dual bore element 12 corresponds to the opposite bore 25 of lower dual bore element 10 and valved bore 53 of upper dual bore element 12 corresponds to the opposite bore 38 of lower dual bore element 10 whereby each tubing string 13 and 14 is controlled by one of the valve means. Bore 53 is aligned with bore 25 and tubing string 14 and bore 45 is aligned with bore 38 and tubing string 13. At bore 45 a bleeder port 57 is identically formed as bleeder port 52 of bore 25. At their upper ends bores 45 and 53 have threaded sockets 58 and 59, respectively, to receive sections of tubing 60 and 61 or other equipment.

Flange 33 of lower dual bore element 10 and flange 54 of upper dual bore element 12 are provided with test ports by the use of which pressure tests of the sealed and threaded joints and connections may be made. In flange 33, L-shaped port 63 communicates between the tubing head space above sealing ring 18 and the exterior of the dual bore element, being either closed by a suitable fitting 62 screwed into an exterior socket portion or fitted with a suitable adapter (not shown) for connection of a suitable test device (not shown). In flange 54, L-shaped port 65 communicates between the sealed space between upper dual bore element 12 and lower dual bore element 10, and the exterior of the dual bore element, being either closed by a suitable fitting 64 screwed into an exterior socket portion or fitted with a suitable adapter (not shown) for connection of a suitable test device (not shown). Port 63 permits pressure testing of the screwed connection between tubing 13 and lower dual bore element 10, the tubing head seal with tubing 13 and collar 23, the seal of collar 23 in lower dual bore element 10, and the flange-to-fiange connection between lower dual bore element 10 and tubing head 11. Port 65 permits pressure testing of the screwed connection between collar 42 and lower dual bore element 10, the seal of collar 42 in upper dual bore element 12, the screwed connection between tubing 14 and upper dual bore element 12, the seal of tubing 14 in lower dual bore element 10, and the flange-to-flange connection between lower dual bore element 10 and upper dual bore element 12.

An important feature of the invention is the provision of collar 23 at the aligned connection at the lower end of bore 25 of lower dual bore element 10. Tubing string 14 is passable through the bore 25 and the collar 23 and tubing string 14 may be installed therethrough, removed, replaced, or omitted without affecting the continued use of the other tubing string 13. The collar 23 is sealed off at its lower end by sealing ring 18 and at its upper end by the sealing elements in bore portion 29 and therefore forms a passage for tubing string 14 which is isolated from the other tubing string 13 and bore 38 connected thereto. In actual use of the equipment provided by the invention, it is convenient to first run tubing string 13 through tubing head 11 and into the well to the prescribed depth, then to set sealing ring 18, then to screw socket 46 of lower dual bore element 10 onto the top of tubing string 13, set collar 23, and complete the flange-toflange connection between tubing head 11 and lower dual bore element 10, and next to pressure test these lower connections through test port 63. In assembling the remainder of the equipment, tubing string 14 is run through lower dual bore element bore 25, collar 23, tubing head 11, and down into the well, then collar 42 is screwed into lower valve bore 38, upper valve bore 53 is screwed onto the top of tubing string 14, the respective seals are set, and the fiange-to-flange connection between upper dual bore element 12 and lower dual bore element 10 is made, after which these upper connections may be pressure tested through test port 65. During the assembly of the equipment, suitable blowout preventers may be provided as required to safeguard the well.

From the foregoing description of the apparatus it will be apparent that the apparatus will be suitable for service under diverse conditions and is flexible in use. Since tubing string 14 and upper dual bore element 12 may be installed or removed without interfering except for a short time with the operation of the other tubing string 13, the completion depth of tubing string 14 may be readily altered to suit changing conditions in the well while still maintaining production through tubing string 13 and lower dual bore element 10. Production from tubing string 13 will usually be made to pass out through the lateral passage 40 of lower dual bore element 10 while production from tubing string 14 will usually be made to pass out through the lateral passage 56 of upper dual bore element 12, pressure measuring and recording instruments usually being provided above upper dual bore elements 12 and connected respectively at sockets 58 and 59. The upper end of upper dual bore element 12 may be threaded in the same manner as lower dual bore element 10 and may be thereby provided with a flanged connection like flange 35 of lower dual bore element 10 if desired. Either set of bores and the tubing string associated therewith may be used for the withdrawal of gaseous or liquid production or for the injection of gases or liquids into the well. The aligned arrangement of each set of bores with a tubing string permits access to the tubing strings so that well tools may be run into the tubing strings.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, many modifications thereof may be made by a person skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention by the embodiment thereof shown and described herein, but it is intended to protect by Letters Patent all forms of the invention falling within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A pack off means for dual bore well head apparatus having dual strings of tubing received therethrough comprising an elongate tubular collar means around only one of said tubing strings across a connection between two vertically aligned well head elements, sealing means between said collar means and each said well head element whereby said collar means isolates one of said strings of tubing freely received therethrough from the other said string of tubing at the said connection, said one string of tubing being freely movable through said collar and well head elements connected thereby.

2. Well completion apparatus comprising a member having a vertical opening therethrough and an upper flange therearound, a pair of tubing strings passing upwardly through said member from a well, a dual bore element surmounting said member and having a pair of vertical bores therethrough and a lower flange therearound, a fluid tight joint connecting said lower flange to said upper flange, and means for sealing around one of said tubing strings adjacent said joint, said sealing means comprising a tubular collar across said joint for receiving said one of said tubing strings therethrough, means for sealing around one end of said collar in said vertical opening of said member, and means for sealing around the other end of said collar in a bore of said dual bore element.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said one tubing string passes from the well through said collar into said one bore, and wherein the other of said tubing strings passes from the well into the second bore of said dual bore element, said means for sealing around one end of: said collar in said vertical opening of said member also providing a seal around said other tubing string in said vertical opening of said member.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said dual bore element comprises a lower dual bore means having valve means in one bore thereof joined above said member, and an upper dual bore means also having valve means in one bore thereof joined above said lower dual bore means, said one tubing string passing from said collar through the non-valved bore of said lower dual bore means and being connected into the valved bore of said upper dual bore means, said other tubing string being connected into the valved bore of said lower dual bore means and having the non-valved other bore of said upper dual bore means aligned thereabove.

5. The combination of claim 4, including means within said non-valved bore of said lower dual bore means for sealing around said one tubing string at its passage therethrough, means at the joint between said upper and lower dual bore means for providing a seal around the connection between said valved bore of said lower dual bore means and said non-valved bore of said upper dual bore means, and means for testing the joints below each said dual bore means.

6. The combination of claim 5, the said valved bore of each said dual bore means having a gate valve closure means therein and an integral lateral outlet from the bore above said gate valve closure means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,335,355 Penick et a1. Nov. 30, 1943 

